In South Hall, students face a battle with mice

When students moved back into their dorms this fall, they quickly became aware that their rooms had been far from empty during summer vacation. According to students in South Hall, they have noticed mice making homes in their rooms and common areas.

For years, the University has been fighting mice issues. With people failing to clean up their messes in the common area, mice have turned them into a frightening place for students trying to do homework.

Residents of South Hall have reported seeing at least one mouse in the common rooms or in their dorm room. Connor Bourque, a junior psychology major from Goffstown, N.H., explained how as soon as he got back from summer break he met one of the tiny but bothersome critters.

“I’m enjoying playing the piano and all of the sudden, I see a little creature out of the corner of my eye.” Bourque said. “I thought it was gross knowing we have these little creatures possibly in our rooms too.”

Facility operations on campus would not return calls or emails when I asked about the problem and what they’re doing to fix it. However, they thought putting a sign up in the common area stating “Mice in room, enter at your own risk,” would help ease the situation.

Isaac Houston, a junior physical education major from Noble, Maine, was not as light-hearted when it came to dealing with the mice inhabitants.

“You know we pay all this tuition and I have to worry about mice in my room?” Houston said.

“It has gotten to the point where I have to buy my own mice traps because my room has one every other week.” With winter on its way, students just don’t see how the problem is going to fix itself.

Brandon Mynter, a construction management major and sophomore from Avon, N.Y., said he was just sitting in his room enjoying a snack and all of the sudden he had a visitor.

“I look down and I see something grey moving towards me,” Mynter said. “After doing a double-take I realized it was a mouse… talk about ruining a meal.”

A common theme students have voiced is the “disgusting” feeling they get when thinking about living with mice and having them around. According to psychologists, the feeling of disgust and fear can lead to increased anxiety and unhappiness.

Manni Romero, a criminal justice major and sophomore from Phillipsburg, N.J., explained how he has not actually seen mice in the buildings with his own eyes but finds the ideal revolting.“I don’t even have to see them to feel nasty about the whole thing.” Romero said. “It’s the fact that nobody has done anything about it yet that is the bad part.”

Although mice might make people upset, their effects aren’t just psychologically. They are also a health concern and have shown to carry diseases in some cases.

Bourque was just finishing up his nightly game of NHL 2018 on his Xbox when he heard movement where he stores his food. “I get up from my chair and I just see mice feces all over my food boxes.”

Bourque explained “it was pretty clear they were all over my stuff so that’s when I decided it was time to throw it out and maybe buy some traps from the dollar store.”

Bourque is not the only one with this issue, many other residents have complained of the same thing. Residents in South are not happy about this and find it frustrating that they have to clean up after events like these.

“I got some traps and I have caught about three mice in four weeks.” Houston said. “It is starting to get old having to worry about this situation. I wish they would just get some other help by the facility people because now I’m putting my own money into this on top of a pricey tuition.”

Mice are attracted to places where there are food sources. Obviously, a college dorm is filled with plenty of food with many students in one building. Some see that as the problem. “This actually can be avoided if people just kept their room and areas clean” Romero said.

“I can’t tell you how many times I have friends complaining about mice but their room looks like an earthquake just hit it. My room is clean I don’t have a problem.”

Houston also is neat and keeps a very clean room. “I live in a single, I don’t have much food in my room.” Houston said. “I keep my room very clean and I still have a problem with mice, so at this point I have run out of options and buying traps is the only way I can do it.”

The rodent problem has certainly forced some residents into an uncomfortable and inconvenient position. Resident assistants think students need to do more to clean their rooms and not leave them in a mess.

Romero wonders if getting sick recently could have been because of the mice problem. “Ever since I have been hearing about this problem I have been sick multiple times,” Romero said.

“I’m not saying it is the reason I was sick, but you have to consider it because of the problem.”

With winter coming up many students fear this issue is just going to escalate and keep getting worse.